INDIA THAT IS
By Anshika Singh 6B
Roll.no-6
Why did people from various parts of the world visited India?
•Trade and Commerce:- India was known for its wealth and resources, including spices, textiles,
and precious stones. Traders from regions like Greece, Rome, Persia, and China traveled to
India to engage in commerce and establish trade routes.
•Religious Pilgrimages:- India was a significant center for Buddhism, Hinduism, and later, Islam.
Pilgrims from China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East traveled to India to visit sacred
sites, study religious texts, and seek spiritual enlightenment.
•Education and Knowledge:- Ancient India was home to renowned centers of learning, such as
Nalanda and Takshashilla. Scholars and students from various parts oh the world came to
study subjects like mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and philosophy.
•Cultural Exchange:- Travelers were also motivated by the desire to experience and document
the rich cultural heritage of India. They were fascinated by India’s diverse traditions,
languages, and customs, which they recorded in their travelogues.
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Harappan Trade Routes
•For instance, a Harappan village was established in Shortughai. It was close to the region of
northern Afghanistan and produced lapis lazuli.
•Sutkagendor on the Makran Sea coast appears to have been established as an anchorage for
ships. Other Harappan ports were scattered throughout the coastal regions of Sindh and Gujarat.
•The North Western route allowed the merchants and rulers of Harappa to control the supplies of
valuable stones like lapis lazuli or jade.
•Similarly, the Deodar timber beams used as ceilings in many Harappan homes were imported
from the higher Himalayan regions.
•Ancient Indian trade routes existed between the Harappans and the modern Mesopotamian
towns. According to experts, the Mesopotamians called the Harappan society Meluhha. Kings of
Mesopotamia boast that ships from Meluhha carried lapis lazuli, carnelian, ivory, and gold to their
cities. Mesopotamia confirms the discovery of seals with the Harappan script in these references.
Mauryan Empire: Important Trade
Routes, Sea Routes, And Ports
•The northwest of India was the crossroads of important ancient Indian trade routes to
West Asia and Central Asia. Rajagriha in Magadha and Kaushambi in present-day
Prayagaraj were on ancient Indian trade routes.
•The strategic location of Pataliputra allowed them easy access to rivers and ancient
Indian trade routes.
•Cities like Kapilavastu, Shravasthi, Hazara, and Peshawar were connected along the
northern route. Megasthenes mentions an ancient Indian trade route that linked
Pataliputra and the northwest. The same ancient Indian trade route in the south
connected central India and Kalinga in the southeastern region.
•A second path was to the east. To ultimately get to Andhra and Karnataka, it turned
south. The other portion of the ancient Indian trade route extended southward to
Tamralipti in the Ganges delta. It served as an outlet for travel to the south and
southeast. Another ancient Indian trade route was from Kaushambi, which led west to
Ujjain. This was known as Daksinapatha and proceeded either farther west across the
Narmada or to the coast of Gujarat.
Post-Mauryan Sea Routes And Ports
•In the Indo-Roman trade, it was significant. It was situated along the only navigable ancient Indian
trade route. It is known that the merchants made a sizable profit from the ancient Indian trade
route. According to Chinese literature Hou Han Shu, the most profitable course was Shentu and
Rome.
•Until the middle of the second century CE, Kushanas ruled this region. Syrastrene (modern-day
Surat) was the following significant port on the Gujarat coast. Barygaza was the most important
port on the west coast.
•A Kanheri inscription mentions sagarapalas, who would have been chosen similarly to guide
foreign ships to the harbor. Barygaza's hinterland was well connected to it.
•Barygaza and Ujjayini were joined in the east. According to the Periplus, traveling by ox-drawn
carts from Pratishthana to Barygaza takes 20 days. The Periplus also claims that goods from China
were brought by land from Bactria to Barygaza via Pushkalavati, Kabul, and the lower Indus.
•The Periplus on the Konkan coast refers to three ports: Chaul, Souppara, and Kalliene.
